As they’d all set foot back on the safety of their side of the Canyon, they had been met with another surprise: there was a fleet of horses awaiting them, the most beautiful horses Thor had ever seen. Now, instead of having to tend the horses, to shovel their waste, Thor had been given one to ride himself. It was a thing of splendor, with a black hide and a long, white nose. He had named him Percival.
They had ridden for most of the day, cresting a small hill before reaching King’s Court. When they’d reached its peak, Thor’s breath had been taken away: as far as the eye could see, the masses lined King’s Road, cheering them. The horizon was filled with Fall foliage and flowers, and it was a perfect day. They had left at Summer and returned at Fall, and the change was shocking.
As they all rode their horses now through the parade in King’s Court, the sun beginning to set, Thor felt as if he were in a dream.
“Can you believe this is for us?” O’Connor asked, walking on his horse beside Thor.
“We’re Legion members now,” Elden said. “Real Legion members. If there’s a war, we’re called upon as reserves. We’re not just trainees anymore: we’re soldiers, too.”
The masses cheered as they passed through, but as Thor looked over the faces, he was looking for only one person: Gwendolyn. It was all he thought of. Not riches or fame or honor, or any of it. He just wanted to see her, to know that she was still here, that she still cared for him.
The cheers reached a crescendo as the group reached King’s Gate and crossed the wooden bridge, the bridge echoing beneath the weight of the horses’ hooves. They continued on through the soaring arched stone, beneath the rows of iron spikes. They proceeded through the darkened part of the tunnel, then came out the other side, into King’s Court.
As they did, they were met with a cheer, masses flooding the plaza from every direction, calling out their names. Thor was even amazed to hear some people call out his name-he could hardly believe that anyone even knew who he was.
As they continued into the plaza, Thor saw that banquet tables had been prepared for the festivities. He was beginning to realize that this day had been declared a holiday, and that all these festivities were just for them. It was hard to fathom.
They reached the center of the plaza, and standing there, waiting to greet them, was Brom, the lead general of all the armed forces. He was surrounded by his top generals, and by dozens of members of The Silver, and one by one, the boys dismounted and walked towards them, stopping at attention as they lined up.
Kolk walked around and stood beside Brom, and the two of them stood side by side, facing the boys. The crowd fell silent.
“Men,” Brom called out, “for from now on you shall be called men-we welcome you home as members of the Legion!”
The crowd cheered, and knights of The Silver stepped forward and pinned each boy with a pin, a black falcon holding a sword, the emblem of the Legion, on their left breast, above their hearts. Each Legion member was pinned by the knight he was squire to-and Thor was upset that Erec and Kendrick were both not there to pin him. Kolk, in their place, stepped forward and pinned him. He looked down and, to Thor’s surprise, slowly broke into a smile.
“You’re not half bad,” he said.
It was the first time Thor had ever seen him smile. Then Kolk quickly frowned and hurried off.
The masses cheered, and musicians started up, drums and lutes and cymbals and harps, and the crowd broke into celebration.
Casks of ale were rolled out onto the fields, and a foaming glass of ale was soon shoved into Thor’s hand. Within moments, it became an all-out party.
Someone came up behind Thor and lifted him up onto his shoulders, and Thor found himself hoisted in the air, along with this brethren, holding his glass of ale as it spilled, laughing as he was jostled in the air. Thor reached over and clinked glasses with Reese, also on a stranger’s shoulders, off-balance, laughing. He swayed and eventually fell off, landing on his feet with the others.
Songs and dancing broke out everywhere, and Thor found himself locking arms with some woman he did not recognize, a stranger who grabbed his arm and danced with him in circles, spinning him around and around, in one direction, then the other. Thor, caught off guard, finally broke away; he did not want to dance with her. Although all the other Legion members were dancing with random strangers, Thor did not want to be with anyone else. He only wanted Gwendolyn.
He searched for her frantically through the crowd. Had she come? Was she still interested in him?
The crowd grew rowdier, and the sun began to set, torches were lit and the drink grew stronger. Jugglers appeared, throwing flaming sticks, sporting events ensued, and huge spits of meat were rolled out. Thor was thrilled to be in the middle of it-but without seeing Gwendolyn, something was missing.
“Hey, that’s my girl!” someone screamed threateningly.
Thor turned and saw O’Connor, with his limp, dancing with a girl, then saw a drunken stranger approach and shove O’Connor hard. The man was tall and beefy, and O’Connor stumbled back several feet, caught off guard.
The bully continued towards O’Connor, but before he could take another foot, Thor, reacting instinctively, jumped into action-as did the other Legion members around him. Within seconds, Thor, Reese, Elden and the twins pounced on the man, knocking him down to the ground.
The man scurried up, fear in his eyes, and ran off.
Thor turned back to O’Connor, who was fine, but dazed. As Thor looked over at his brothers, he realized how quickly they had come to each other’s defense, realized that they were now all truly one unit, there for each other. It felt good.
Thor saw all the people dancing, and his thoughts returned to Gwendolyn. He searched for her everywhere, breaking away from the dancing area, leaving his brethren, and walking up and down the rows of banquet tables. He had to find her.
He jumped up on a bench, trying to peer above the crowd. But he saw no sight of her, and his heart fell.
He jumped down and saw an attendant from the castle, a girl he recognized, a beautiful girl, maybe seventeen, and ran up to her. She turned to look at him, and her eyes lit up in adulation. She was flirting with him.
“Thorgrin!” she exclaimed.
She embraced him, and he gently pushed her away.
“Have you seen Gwendolyn?” he asked.
She shook her head, and looked into his eyes.
“I have not,” she said. “But I am here. Would you like to dance with me?”
Thor gently shook his head and hurried off, not wanting to get embroiled with anyone else.
He looked everywhere for Gwen, on all corners of the field, and was starting to think the worst. Maybe she had run off with someone else. Maybe her mother had gotten to her, had forbidden their relationship. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way about him.
Suddenly, Thor felt a tap on his shoulder.
He spun, and his world melted.
Standing there, just a few feet away, smiling back, was the love of his life.
Gwendolyn.
*
Thor was mesmerized. Gwendolyn looked as beautiful as ever, staring back with her wide smile, her perfect skin, her long, blonde hair, her large blue eyes. It was like meeting her for the first time. He could look nowhere else, his heart pounded. He felt as if he had truly returned.
Gwendolyn jumped into his arms, embracing him tightly, and he embraced her back. He could hardly believe that someone like her could love him, and he loved her back with everything he had. He hugged her for a very long time, and she did not let go.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” she whispered earnestly into his ear.